The Moon and the Bonfires
Cesare Pavese
1950
Around 210 pages
This is a good time to check in with the Italians, they have really been taking it in the shorts lately. It's always disappointing when you don't click with a translation, because I don't know whether to send my hate mail to the author or the translator. I kid, of course, this wasn't so bad, I just didn't connect with the material.
Anguilla returns to his small Italian hometown after making his fortune in the United States during the war years. Of course, the town is different from what he remembers. This is like the spiritual sequel to Christ Stopped at Eboli, and both novels are equally depressing.
This was published the same year that Pavese killed himself. It's always strange reading the works of somebody who made that decision. In some ways, the novel becomes an explanation and justification for the suicide. And I am sure it is obvious why a story about the devastating effect of fascism on Italy would provide ammo for somebody already teetering on the edge.
Not much else to say about this one, it's a tough read, but I guess I should be used to that by now, considering our current era.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
First translated into English in 1952, but a more accurate translation came out in 2002.
UP NEXT: Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
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